It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Spring Parade (1940) – Musical #768

Studio:
Universal Pictures

Director:
Henry Koster

Starring:
Deanna Durbin, Robert Cummings, S.Z. Sakall, Anne Gwynne, Mischa Auer, Henry Stephenson, Billy Lenhart, Kenneth Brown, Allyn Joslyn, Walter Catlett, Peggy Moran, Regindal Denny, Franklin Pangborn, Edward Gargan, Samuel S. Hinds, Leon Belasco,

Plot:
While at a festival, Hungarian girl Ilonka Tolnay (Durbin) has her fortune read that says her husband will be an artist and she will meet him in Vienna. She thinks this is ridiculous because she has never been to Vienna. After the festival, she falls asleep on a pile of hay. When she awakes, she finds that she actually was asleep on a cart driven by baker Latislav Teschek (Sakall) and is en route to Vienna. While initially upset, Ilonka realizes this may help her fortune come try. She stays with Latislav and his family, and eventually meets Corporal Harry Marten (Cummings), who happens to be a composer.

Trivia:
• “Spring Parade” (1940) is a remake of “Frühjahrsparade” (1934). Both films were produced by Joe Pasternak produced this story.
• The film was nominated for four Academy Awards: This picture was nominated for the following Academy Awards: Best Song, “Waltzing in the Clouds,”; Best Score (Charles Previn); Best Cinematography (Joseph Valetine); and Best Sound Recording (Bernard B. Brown).
• Deanna Durbin’s eighth film and first “costume” (or historical) story.

Highlights:
• S.Z. Cuddles Sakall
• The gag of Deanna Durbin removing multiple petticoats

Notable Songs:
• “Waltzing in the Clouds” performed by Deanna Durbin
• “It’s Foolish But It’s Fun” performed by Deanna Durbin
• “When April Sings” performed by Deanna Durbin
• “Blue Danube Dream” performed by Deanna Durbin

My review:
I could write a list of things and moments I love that occur in films: A lavish fashion montage, a Busby Berkeley staged number, a tap dance by Eleanor Powell … and on that list is when a film opens with Deanna Durbin singing. This occurs in this week’s Musical Monday, SPRING PARADE (1940), and when a Durbin film opens like this, you just immediately feel joy because of Durbin’s beautiful voice and her genuine on-screen nature.

The plot is a bit silly but fun (just like the title of one of the songs, “It’s Foolish, But It’s Fun”). Ilonka Tolnay (Duban) is a Hungarian, and when she attends a festival and has her fortune read, it says she will find her love in Vienna and he will be an artist. She is baffled because she has never been to Vienna and has no plans to go there … until Ilonka ends up in Vienna by accident. She falls asleep on a hay cart and wakes up when it’s in on its way to Vienna. The cart is driven by a baker, Latisla (Sakall), who says Ilonka can stay with his family until she figures out a way to get home. But once Ilonka arrives in Vienna, she realizes that she could fulfill the fortune that was read to her and decides to stay on. Then she meets Corporal Harry Marten (Cummings). Because of her fortune, she thinks she can’t fall in love with a solider … until she learns Harry also composes music. She tries to help launch Harry’s composing career by sending his music to Emperor Franz Josef (Stephenson).

SPRING PARADE is lovely and joyful. One of my friends once called Deanna Durbin an angel on Earth, and every time I watch her on film, I see how true that is. In every film, Durbin possesses a warmth and seems to believe everything she speaks and sings.

As a Robert Cummings fan, I do enjoy him in this film (though he is a bit of a jerk at the start), but I’ll admit, I prefer him better in another Deanna Durbin film, IT STARTED WITH EVE (1941).

While Durbin and Cummings shine, the supporting cast is something special. The hilarious Mischa Auer is given second billing and only is in the film for a few minutes, but leaves a lasting impression with a very funny dance with Deanna Durbin.

But it’s sweet Hungarian actor S.Z. “Cuddle” Sakall, who helps make this film for me. He always adorable in this film, but also brings a lot of heart.

You see, while SPRING PARADE is a frothy costume musical, it also has a deeper message. Released in Sept. 1940, World War II had already been raging for a year in Europe. Set in Hungary and Austria, both of these countries were occupied by Nazis when this film was released. SPRING PARADE is set in the 1900s and presents a nostalgic and idyllic view of Austria and Hungary.

Actor Sakall was affected by the war and rise of Nazi rule—in fact this was only his second film in Hollywood. He left Hungary in 1940 and came to Hollywood when Hungary joined the Axis powers.

There is a moment when Sakall’s character tells Durbin’s character about when he first came to Vienna.

“I could hardly sleep,” Sakall’s character says in the film. “It was so wonderful — like heaven.”

There’s a wistfulness in Sakall’s delivery, that I have little doubt that he was remembering Europe when it wasn’t under Nazi rule.

However, I say all this but must acknowledge, SPRING PARADE does not feel like a political film. But those watching in 1940 most likely knew the message.

In fact, this film is quite funny. In addition to Auer’s dance, Deanna Durbin has a very funny gag to illustrate that she was a farm girl, where she sheds at least 15 petticoats.

Compared to other Durbin films, she performs fewer songs here, but you hear “It’s Foolish, But It’s Fun” at least three or four times during the film.

Unfortunately, SPRING PARADE was never released on DVD. It can be found uploaded online to view, but the quality is not great. For example, I only knew Mischa Auer had made an appearance, because I knew his voice.

Despite that, this film is still a joy. Even hard-to-please film critic Bosley Crowther liked it—and may have been a Durbin fan? You decide:
“But she (Durbin) has never been in better voice, she has never possessed more charming grace and she has never … been more pleasing to behold. With nothing more classical on her program than an arrangement of the “Blue Danube Waltz,” she has much tuneful delight with a group of new songs, best of which is a lilting waltz, “When April Dreams.”

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